Bringing you the futureIn Aerostructures

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We constantly break new ground, raising the bar for design, engineering and manufacturing technologies and program execution. Our determination to bring our customers the best solutions possible has kept us at the forefront of the industry for 80 years, and there are still plenty of technical and mental boundaries left to push. You could say innovation is deeply rooted in our work.

Efficient, safe and reliable

Our experience, know-how and expertise are built on a history of developing and manufacturing complete aircraft. Since the foundation of Saab in 1937, thousands of aircraft have left our hangars, including the Saab 340, the Saab 2000 and Gripen – the world’s first new-generation fighter in operation.

Some use innovative technology - We create it

Today, our knowledge, expertise and global reach translates into state-of-the-art aerostructures that are cost-efficient, robust and safe. We use our knowledge, experience and innovative thinking to create cost-efficient solutions that will further improve our product and the customer value we provide.

Close working relationships with our customers

In 1997, Saab made the decision to focus its commercial aeronautics business on supplying structural components to major aircraft manufacturers. Today we are a tier-1 partner to Boeing and Airbus and our attention is on developing wing structures, movables and doors. Over the years, we have established close working relationships with our customers and are considered a key and strategic collaborator in the development of their aircraft.

Senast uppdaterad: 24 oktober 2018 • 16:25

Solutions for commercial aircraft

Saab has the experience and capabilities required for building a wide range of aerostructures but, our main focus is on moveables, doors and wing structures.

Examples Boeing programs

Saab provide design and manufacturing of advanced composite and metallic doors for the Boeing 787 (all versions), including mechanical, electrical and hydraulic systems.

Examples Airbus programs

Saab Aerostructures is represented on all Airbus Commercial Programs, with, for example, different types of wing structures, ailerons, exit doors and support structures to the flaps.

Program references

As tier 1, Saab deliver innovative solutions to both Airbus and Boeing. Click on the programs below to read more.

Boeing 787

Airbus A380

Airbus A350

Airbus A330

Airbus A321

Airbus A320

Airbus A400M

Boeing 787

Saab supplies the large and bulk cargo doors, as well as the crew escape doors for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. A range of systems are built into the doors’ composite structures, providing the customer with a lightweight door that is easy to install.

Airbus A380

Saab produces MOLEs (Mid and Outer Fixed Leading-Edges) for the world’s largest commercial aircraft – the Airbus A380. Each MOLE is 32 meters long and exceeding two tons. It is the single largest part ever produced by Saab.

Airbus A350

Saab is responsible for design, development and manufacturing of the flap support structures and fairings for the A350 XWB-1000 – the largest aircraft in the A350 family. The flap support structures link the landing flaps to the wing trailing-edge structure and allow the deployment of the flaps during the take-off and landing phases.

Airbus A330

Saab supply composite work to the A330neo program comprising manufacture of the A330neo wing trailing edge falsework extension which is situated on the outer part of the wing with interfaces to the Sharklets and the wing box. Saab is responsible for the design and manufacture of production tools together with the manufacture and assembly of all items required for the work package.

Airbus A321

In March 2015 Saab become a supplier in the A321neo Airbus Cabin Flex project and are together with its engineering partner Tech Mahindra in Hyderabad, responsible for design, development and manufacture of Door Plug 3 and Cover Plate.

In April 2016 Saab received the contract from Airbus to design, develop and manufacture the OverWing Door for the A321 ACF (Airbus Cabin Flex) Aircraft. It is a metallic door with actuator springs, designed to replace the previous hatch door.

Airbus A320

Saab is responsible for development and production of ailerons for the Airbus A320 family. Always striving to improve our solutions, we redesigned the aileron in 2006. The new version requires half the number of components and has significantly reduced production time and costs.

Airbus A400M

Saab develops, produce and provide support of the crew door for the A400M.

Capabilities

We believe in efficient processes and added value at every stage – from the first concept to the final delivery.

Engineering (Composites/Design)

Production

Lean

Quality

Global Supply Chain

R&D

Engineering (Composites/Design)

Composites

In recent years we have increased our investment in composites research and development. Our team of experts has been exploring innovative design solutions, prototype methodologies, new tooling concepts and assembly ideas. The knowledge gained from our research has been implemented in a number of real-world solutions for our partners and customers.

For example, our work includes the composite cargo door for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, tooling concepts for the Neuron UAV’s composite panels, conceptual design and manufacturing of the A320 Aileron integrated composite box, and the highly integrated sub-scale wing box for the EU-program ALCAS.

With rapid prototyping and development, we push boundaries even further, improving knowledge of aerostructure composites and bringing the most efficient thinking to market.

Design

As a technological leader, we carry out product development in close cooperation with suppliers and customers all over the world.

Our engineers use model-based design, which utilizes electronic product models. This allows us to conduct various types of analysis of a product, including stress and aerodynamic testing, and off-the-market support.

There are many benefits to this approach for our customers and suppliers. Model-based design provides a common framework for communicating with customers and partners throughout the design process. At the same time, it supports the development cycle in the most efficient way – reducing required man hours significantly.

Production

After decades of building entire aircraft from nose to tail, we have acquired an extensive expertise in developing, building and delivering aerostructures that hit the mark for our customers, while meeting the highest possible standards. Over this time, we have also fine-tuned our unique way of working.

Our focus is on meeting the needs of our customers through ongoing development and an unrelenting dedication to excellence. We are committed to collaboration and building strong foundations for the design, development and production of the next generation of aircraft components. The nature of these collaborations means that individual work packages are often quite large in scope and the demands on partners can be heavy. We offer both technical and project management expertise, so our customers know they will get real value out of the partnership. As an example of the combination of design, research, development and production, we utilize among others 3D-printed copies of the actual product on which the operators train to speed up progress through the steepest part of the learning curve, explore new avenues and ensure that the designed product has good producibility.

Lean

Using Lean principles helps us to deliver on time and on budget, while our highly automated production lines ensure quality is consistently achieved in every part of the process. By thinking, acting and working Lean, we are able to reduce unnecessary processes, increase our capacity, and limit waste. A Lean approach also means fewer production stages, which helps to improve the overall quality of our products. Another key benefit is the reduction of lead time in-process alterations and delivery.

Quality

In every project, challenges arise. Our aim is to find solutions before these challenges become problems for customers. This proactive approach is at the heart of who we are, and it’s what makes our customers feel secure when working with us.

Saab Group values a well-functioning Supply chain to support the delivery of the highest possible value to Customers. To achieve this, it is expected that suppliers to Saab Group companies will have a mature and effective quality management system in place.

The Basic Quality Requirement document is Saab’s basic requirement document (GMS-0243). Specific requirements that address to different product areas can also be applied. For more information, please contact your Procurement point of contact at Saab for advice.

The Requirements Document defines the quality system capability required of a partner/supplier and the expectations regarding quality performance. This quality mind-set shall be applied to all activities undertaken while working with Saab Group, throughout the processes of quoting, product development, manufacture, supply, service, warranty and ultimate end use of the product.

Traditionally the focus of Quality Assurance has been responding to problems and taking effective corrective action. As the expectations of our customer’s increase, the role of Saab quality assurance has changed, placing more emphasis on identifying potential problems and taking action to prevent occurrence. Saab Group suppliers are expected to apply this approach to their own quality management systems.

Global Supply Chain

At Saab, we manage the entire supply chain. We work openly with customers and support them in making critical decisions throughout the entire lifecycle of a project. Our holistic approach to the supply chain means our customers get a cost-efficient solution.

Investing in existing and potential partnerships is another way we are preparing ourselves for the future. Work packages are growing in size, placing higher demands on our partners. We are committed to combining our strengths to meet customer needs. We have a continuous dialogue with our customer base to understand where they see the trends in the market and we adapt to make sure that we are aligned.

Through our global supply chain, we have formed strategic partnerships with a number of countries, which gives customers direct access, and reduces risk. Saab, together with Aequs, has a factory in Belgium, India for aerostructure assemblies, called Aerostructures Assemblies India (AAI). The company assembles parts for commercial aircraft sub-structures. As Saab is a part-owner of the company we make sure that the commitment we have towards the customers is projected to AAI and that the manufacturing systems and qualifications are aligned with the market needs.

AAI is a unique company in many ways; it is a pure assembly operation, placed in a Special Economic Zone where it can nurture from certain specific benefits, and it has a clear commitment from one western-world company (Saab) and a large Indian Player in Aequs to deliver to its commitments.

This is a long-term commitment in a market that is strategically important for Saab and will strengthen our established position as a global player in the commercial aerostructures market.

R&D

We believe in knowledge through innovative engineering. Clean Sky is a concrete example of this belief and commitment. Clean Sky is one of Europe’s largest commercial aircraft research programs. It aims to reduce carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and noise emissions from European air traffic by between 20–40 percent by 2020.

As part of Clean Sky, Saab and its partners are developing a new wing with laminar flow properties that will reduce drag, and thereby fuel consumption and emissions. This work will provide the basis for the aircraft wings of the future.

Saab is one of 16 companies in Europe who are participating in follow-on program, Clean Sky 2, which begins now and will run until 2023. It brings together the European Aerospace industry's main representatives and public research organizations. The program is expected to generate approximately 4 billion euro.

In parallel with this, Saab have also invested in many other development programs, such as LocoMachs, GF Demo, SweDemo etc. – from which we gain a lot of interesting knowledge in the domains of composites, manufacturing technology, automatization and 3-D Printing.

Related news & stories

Every 43 seconds a Saab 340 or Saab 2000 takes off or lands, around the clock and throughout the year in 34 countries. The aircraft fleet needs a support organisation that is always on its toes to ensure that operators can keep their planes in the air – 24/7, 365 days a year.